


distracting

by rule_the_wonderland



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, M/M, Manipulation, Minor Injuries, Minor Leon | Leo/Zero | Niles, Minor Violence, Past Abuse, Past Torture, Post-Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest, Torture, all of these tags are so negative im so sorry, cuz that shit's stupid, dyslexic niles, i just couldn't get this stupid sad idea out of my head, no deeprealms AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2020-01-16 17:20:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18526084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rule_the_wonderland/pseuds/rule_the_wonderland
Summary: Niles is captured, tortured and blinded. Hoping to detach himself from all feelings of pity or remorse, he descends into a cycle of self-destructive behavior, slowly isolating himself from everyone around him.





	1. One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a prologue of sorts.

Leo kicked the door in, Odin pounding at his heels.

"Niles? Niles, is that you??"

He's as concerned as ever, and Leo is too. He bites his lip as he stares at the dark figure at the end of the room, illuminated only by the light that they let in. Odin's already at his side, tugging at the ropes that bind him to the chair they put him in. Leo approaches more slowly. 

It smells.

"L-Lord Leo?" Odin's voice is trembling. He's terrified. 

"Is he alright?" 

"I-I think so." Odin pauses to put his ear closer to his partner's face. "He-He's breathing."

"Niles," Leo says, his voice barely a breath past his lips. "Speak to us. Show us that you're okay."

He doesn't say a word, and that frightens him.

"H-Hey. Do you have a knife or something? He's tied up pretty good."

Leo does not. Snapping, he wills a flame into existence. It floats past his finger tips to the edges of the room, finally drawing close to a wooden table with various items on it.

He steps closer. It has various tools spread over it--weapons, mostly. The amount of blood and--alarmingly-- rust on them turns Leo's stomach. 

He reaches for the knife.

Odin's crouched down in front of him, trying to get him to talk, to no avail. He's trying to tell him about Sapphire, about the people he left back at the castle, saying how worried they were when they left. He tells him about Ophelia, how she made him a flower necklace while playing in the gardens with young Forrest, but had to throw it away because all the flowers had long since wilted.

"You were gone for so long, Niles." Odin is crying by now. "We-we thought you were--"

Niles is putrid.

Leo can't help but think it. There's a puddle on the floor and Leo knows it's piss because it's been there for a while. His tormentor must have wanted him to stew in his own filth, literally, and Leo can't think of a more demented thing.

"C-come on, Niles, talk to us. Tell us what happened, tell us--"

Leo grits his teeth and finally goes to Niles' back. It's horrible of him to think about how horrible his retainer smells, he knows, but at this point, he knows it's more than the piss. There's blood on the ground, too, and an even firmer stench that comes directly from his body. 

It's perfectly alright to smell like that if you've been literally forced to shit your pants over the course of-- days? Weeks? Leo chides himself. Just hurry up and cut the bonds--

Niles' wrists are finally free, and Leo lets out a sigh of relief. Then he sucks it back in, because he had been holding it in to avoid smelling him. He coughs loudly, a hand to his mouth, embarrassed.

He accidentally drops the knife on the floor. Odin grabs it, silently, but strangely more competent about the situation than he is. 

"Niles--" Leo says, before coughing again-- "Niles. Are you alright?"

It's then that he notices the cloth around his head. It's covering his eyes. 

All the time that he's known Niles, he's never known him to take his eyepatch around him. He never really asked. He's gleaned a few details from Niles' past enough to know that it was taken from him, and not a horrible accident. The thought of someone inflicting that amount of pain onto another human twists at Leo's heart, enough that his hands start to tremble as he pushes the blindfold from his face.

He finds out quickly that the blindfold is more than that. It's a bandage.

"Oh, gods," Leo whispers. The bandage is wet with infection and the air is rank with the scent. Odin, busy at Niles' ankle ties, glances up in confusion.

"You--they--"

They took his other eye. 

Leo coughs again, but this time it's more cloying. He coughs up again, and soon he's throwing up.

Screw me, Leo thinks, cursing. He's horrified, but the stench clouds his thoughts and fuddles him. The fire he's created sputters and blinks out behind him, and the room is once again cast in darkness.

"Niles . . .?"

Odin's voice is tiny, but he stopped crying minutes ago. Still, someone's crying, and it's heartbroken and more desperate than anything he's ever heard in his life. As disconnected and shocked as he is, Leo suspects it's him that's crying, not Niles, because how could it be? Not Niles- not this man who's saved him more times than he could count. No, it would never be him, because Niles wasn't scared of anything. No--this, this was the man who met danger with despair, pain with condescension, and death with an insult. No-- this was Niles, the one who stole into his life with that maddening smirk and that half-deprecating voice and that half-lidded look with the eye made you feel like--

\--that eye that--

"I am nothing," Niles cries softly. "Nothing. Nothing."


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapphire goes to visit Niles. Turns out, she's already been to visit him multiple times, and as starting to feel rather guilty about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter woo
> 
> I forgot to explain a few things in the last chapter, so I'll explain them now:
> 
> 1\. This is post-Conquest route. In this fic, only Xander, Leo and Camilla and Azura are married.  
> 2\. F!Corrin's name is Sapphire, mostly because I always thought Corrin sounded more masculine than feminine, but also because Sapphire is the name I've always given MU during my own playthroughs.  
> 3\. Sapphire has the shoulder-length hair style with dark blue hair (hence the name). Gotta love those blue-haired FE lords, amirite  
> 4\. The last chapter was really more of a prologue, but idk how Archive works, so I don't know how to actually change the chapter name to say 'Prologue', so...  
> 5\. this AU incudes no Deeprealms or children, cuz that shit in Fates was always stupid to me  
> 6\. Found out that I posted the first chapter of this around Niles' birthday and I feel SO BAD. I'M SO SORRY NILES YOU DON'T DESERVE THIS ;___;

 

* * *

 

The air inside the infirmary is thick, almost suffocating.

 

There's a small window that's open at the other end of the room, but that does little to air out the room with its heavy stink of puss and salt and alcohol and vinegar.

 

Niles lies still, his face turned upward on top of the cot, silent. Sapphire sits next to him, waiting, tense, arriving an hour or so after the extraction. She doesn't know what to say. What COULD she possibly say? 

 

She forces herself to stop looking at her hands folded in her lap over to the figure in the cot next to her. After months of knowing the man, after months of fighting side by side by him, she knew that he'd had a terrible childhood, if not much else. While she had been sheltered since childhood, he'd been laid bare to life and all of its intricate little horrors. And now, life had one more unjust punishment to offer . . . 

 

She bit her lip. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair . . .

 

"I desperately hope you're not just sitting there feeling sorry for me."

 

Sapphire gasped. "I'm-I'm sorry, I just-- I drifted off there for a second."

 

Niles waved a hand at her. "Don't be sorry. You're doing a lot more than most, talking to me."

 

"Really?" Sapphire said. "What about Odin- or Leo. . . ?"

 

"No. Every time Odin comes around he sounds like he wants to start crying. And Leo . . . well, I know he cares, but he keeps his distance most of the time. Keeps himself busy . . . and away from me."

 

"That's so sad," Sapphire lamented. Surely her brother wasn't as heartless as all that. Did Niles' value to Leo really only extend to how skillful he was with the bow? "I thought you two were close."

 

"We are," Niles said. "I think it actually . . . . pains him too much to be around me. That I was actually a target because of my connection to him -- he feels guilty. I think that if milord was less like- well, himself, he'd be ten times worse than Odin was, balling his eyes out every time he got a look of me."

 

Niles is smiling by now, and that bewilders her. "You think him caring about you is funny?"

 

"I find the image of him crying over me amusing," Niles says, chuckling. His face crinkles upwards and his bandages tighten around his face slightly.

 

"You've never seen him cry before?" Sapphire asks.

 

"Has anyone? Nyx, probably, but I wouldn't bet on it." Niles shrugs. "Still, the image of the unflappable Lord Leo getting all red-faced and teary-eyed, with snot running down his face like he was five years old . . . . Priceless. I may not have my sight anymore, but I still have my imagination."

 

"I don't think I ever saw Leo cry when I was younger," Sapphire replied.  "I met him when he was five years old, and he already acted like a teenager to me."

 

Niles crows out a laugh."Oh! It might be a good thing, then. If I ever saw him cry, he'd never hear the end of it."

 

Sapphire's gut twists again. She doesn't know whether it's from pity or because she's angry about the way Niles seems to revel in the image of her brother in pain. She lets it go, either way.

 

"Why don't I talk to you more often? I'm sure you have tons of stories about Leo when he was young."

 

"I do," Sapphire says, smiling slightly. "He never cried, but he threw the _worst_ temper tantrums like you wouldn't _believe._ I--" She hesitates. "We were closer when we were younger, I think. Whenever it was time for him and the rest to go, he'd just sit there and pout. Camilla had to promise him sweets to persuade him back at the castle. Xander would just remind him how angry Father would be if they were late again."

 

"Oh? And how did these tantrums end?"

 

"When Elise was old enough to come and see me. She was even _more_ stubborn about not leaving , and she'd sit and pout on the floor until Xander and Camilla dragged her out of there, kicking and screaming the whole way back to the castle. I remember _clearly_ the look that Xander gave Leo before they left, and Leo looking so ashamed, and cowed. That's when Leo saw how childish he had been. He was probably six at the time."

 

"A strong six," Niles said, bemused. 

 

"Mmm," Sapphire said. "He'd always been mature for his age. I think one of the reason why he stopped, too, was because he wanted to be a positive older brother figure for Elise. Well . . . that probably worked, to an extent. Elise never really matured as much as the rest of us, even when the War had ended."

 

"A sheltered royal, even more so than you."

 

"I really think that," Sapphire said, "I mean, this War changed the five of us in more ways than one, but I don't think that Elise really understood how to be _cautious_ around our Father like the rest of us. Really, he barely knew she existed sometimes, which was a blessing, I think. And while I wasn't as oblivious to his "hard parenting style" like Elise was, she . . . she still escaped the worst of it. His mood swings. His rages. His punishments when we stepped out of line. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. He's not my Father, not like that. I know that he--Garon--he was a monster, in more ways than one. The man I knew --  "

 

"--was still your father," Niles said softly. "I get it. Old habits die hard."

 

Sapphire took a deep breath, and sighed. He certainly _looked_ like he understood, though it was hard to see his expressions clearly with that bandage around his head. She couldn't look at him and not feel that gnawing sense of sympathy making its way up her stomach and to her heart. She couldn't help but _think_ about it every time she looked at him--

 

"When did they--remove your other eye?"

 

"You mean the surgery?" Niles asks, caustic. "Well, as you know, my captors left a giant gash left eye, but didn't have the decency of taking out the damn thing. My last tormentors were _much_ more gracious. But still . . . . "

 

Sapphire shivered.

 

". . . . Nyx did the initial extraction, with Elise helping her. Then had to clean out the infection--I think I was asleep through most of it, however. One of Nyx's sleeping spells did the trick. They probably finished around . . . . oh, what time is it?"

 

"It's a little bit past 4 in the afternoon."

 

"That sounds about right. They probably got through with me around two hours ago."

 

"Two hours ago?" Sapphire couldn't imagine. She had gotten her fair share of wounds back during the war, and disinfecting them was once of the most painful things she had ever known. "Does it still hurt now? Do you need me to do anything-get you anything--?"

 

"Milady, I'm drunk," Niles said with a toying smile on his face, "And your concern for me is -- endearing. But if you don't see any blood on my bandages, then there's nothing for you to do. Nyx and Elise are the only ones who can change the bandages in the first place."

 

Sapphire blushed a deep red. "Oh."

 

It made a lot of sense-- his slightly slurred speech, his easy way of talking with her. Only now did she see the wine bottles that littered the floor around them, scattered beneath her wooden chair and the cot that Niles laid sprawled on. Though, now that she thought about it--Niles had _always_ been overly casual around her. Still, though, his revelation showed just how distracted she was with other things that went beyond his general demeanor. It wasn't as if he was walking around. She would have been able to tell if he was drunk if that had been the case--

 

"--Milady? Are you still there?"

 

"Huh?" Sapphire shook her head. "I'm sorry-- I guess I drifted off again."

 

"I can't be distracting you all _that_ much, am I?"

 

Sapphire was silent, the blush still present on her cheeks. 

 

Niles didn't speak for a minute either, seeming contemplative. Sapphire wondered idly what he was thinking about--and then wondered if he was thinking about her.

 

"You know what you're really good for," Niles said suddenly.

 

"What?"

 

"A distraction." His voice was lascivious; melted butter seeping straight to her bones. "You're willing to give me that, right?"

 

Sapphire hesitated. His tone was flirty, like the word "distraction" meant a lot more than he was letting on. Besides, she had wanted to help, hadn't she? She couldn't very well heal like Nyx or Elise could, and it was plain now that Niles didn't care much for her sympathy. He was not, as Sapphire had previously observed, what you would call a "warm" sort of person.

 

"Uh, sure," Sapphire replied, still slightly doubting the rationale of her decision.

 

A wicked smile spread on his face, and that small seed of doubt expanded suddenly. 

 

"I bet that cute face of yours is flushed nice and red," Niles said, leaning forward and propping himself up on one elbow. "You were always a shy one."

 

"I'm not shy!" Sapphire blurted, indignant.

 

"Sure, sure," said Niles. "You're not shy, I'll give you that. You love _everyone_ in our army. You'll talk to anyone, even me. Maybe . . . . naive is more the word I'm looking for. Innocent."

 

Sapphire blinked. "I'm not innocent, either."

 

"I'm not talking about innocence in that way, sweetheart."

 

Sapphire's heart quickened. She wondered if he could hear it, it pounded so hard. 

 

"Well? Am I wrong?"

 

"No-no, not really," she said, struggling to keep her voice and her face calm. "I mean, I . . . I've have some experience with . . . Those who I've been expected to court, but most of my . . . Knowledge comes from my books, I guess."

 

"Aw. That's adorable," Niles cooed. "I'd ask if you minded sharing, but I couldn't read even before I was blind."

 

"You couldn't read?"

 

"Don't sound so shocked, milady. You'd be surprised to learn about the literacy rates down in the slums. There are no schools for orphan children, no tutors for the poor. It isn't anything new."

 

"I would think that after knowing my brother for so long he would've taught you. . . "

 

"Oh, sure. I'd sit down for tutoring lessons every now again. He used to be quite rigorous about them. But there was something wrong with my eyes . . . The words always seemed to fly off the page, or flip themselves over. He'd say that a letter or a word looked like one thing when it was clear it was something else." He shrugged. "So I just decided that reading wasn't for me." He smiled. "Now I don't have that problem anymore, huh? Lucky me."

 

"I'm so sorry--"

 

"Look, if you say that to me one more time, you might as well leave." Niles' voice was toneless. "I told you, I need a distraction."

 

Sapphire refused to be cowed. "You're the one who brought it up. It's clear that you're still thinking about it."

 

That smile had reached his face again. "Come here."

 

Sapphire blinked.

 

"Yes, on the bed." He was sitting up now, legs folded in front of him, with space enough before to allow Sapphire some room. "Come on. I don't bite."

 

Sapphire crawled onto the bed, sitting herself in the same way across from him.

 

"Well, I might bite a little."

 

Sapphire gaped at him. "Niles!"

 

"What? Now, tell me about your courtiers," he muttered. "I want to know every detail about your lewd past."

 

"Hardly lewd," Sapphire said, becoming embarrassed again. "You sound like Azura."

 

"Azura?" Niles said. "Huh. I knew she had mysteries untouched, but not THOSE types of mysteries."

 

"Sure," she said. Even now, she couldn't keep the tinge of bitterness from her voice. "It's one of the reasons she married one of the more attractive members of our army."

 

His eye brow arched upwards. "You think Kaze is attractive?"

 

"If you like that sort of thing," Sapphire amended. "She grew up in Hoshido, so . . . "

 

"So?"

 

". . . she likes those types of men." She cast around, trying to explain what she meant. "You know. Thin noses. Unimposing eyebrows. Um." She thought for a minute. "Smaller in . . . . Height."

 

"Probably smaller in a lot of other things too."

 

"Niles!" 

 

"That's the second time you've said my name like that," he said. "Tell me, milady; do you like Nohrian men for their more . . . _impassioned_ natures?"

"I--" Sapphire had never thought of it like that. Really, this was the most she had talked about her 'preferences' since Azura decided to move back to Hoshido after the war. And that was months ago . . . . "Taller would be my number one preference," Sapphire said casually. "And stronger. . . Featured. Silas was taller than me, though admittedly more  . . . 'soft-featured' than most."

 

"Silas? That bag of potatoes?"

 

"He-he's hardly a BAG," she said. He's probably just as plain, she thought as an aside.

 

"My apologies, milady," Niles drawled. "Now, tell me about this illicit affair between you and loverboy."

 

"I wouldn't call it that," she murmured. "He was from a prominent family who had served Nohr for generations. I was a worthy choice, someone who would granted him lands, a title. He'd be marrying up, and while he was no noble, his family owned _some_ lands." She shrugged. "We dated, after the War. He reminded me about our childhood and I thought that nostalgia would blossom into love. But it never did."

 

"Did you ever . . . "

 

"Did I ever _what_?"

 

"Did you ever sleep with him," Niles finished, his words coming off from a chuckle at her response.

 

Sapphire wondered if she should answer him. "No," she said markedly. 

 

"Ah," he said. "So the second youngest princess of Nohr is a virgin."

 

"No," Sapphire said.

 

"Oh-ho! Now things have gotten interesting."

 

"I lived with very few people during my time at the fortress," Sapphire told him. "Mostly with the servants. You can probably guess from there who I slept with." She pulled at a short strand of hair at her neck, wondering, again, why she was telling him all this. "I thought I was in love, but Jakob assured me that I wasn't. He explained to me that being with me made him . . . the happiest man in the world, but that I would meet someone better. I told him that he WAS the best man out there." She shook her head, smiling softly. "That was before the War. I was 16. Then I grew up."

 

"And? Does the thought of him being with you still make your heart race?"

 

Sapphire looked up at him. "He doesn't have any lands. He was abandoned to serve the royal family at a young age."

 

"You sound more and more like Lord Leo everyday," Niles lamented. "That's hardly what I meant, milady."

 

"I know what you meant," Sapphire snapped. She swallowed, and sighed. "And no. The only reason why I would marry him now is if he had a title of some sort. But he doesn't, so . . ."

 

She didn't want to go into detail about her short tryst with her butler. Really, the idea that she had even entered into a relationship with him still embarrassed her, nearly six years later. Still. There were some nights when she figured that settling with her best friend or her childhood crush would've been enough. Some nights, she found herself going back to the kisses Silas left on her temple, lying on some field somewhere, looking up at the stars. She'd even miss Jakob, for all of the love and devotion he offered in the light touches he left along her body. Most nights, however, those lingering memories frustrated her. She wasn't a stuttering, wide-eyed child any longer. She wanted--

 

"--and Xander told me that land has never been a problem for the Nohrian family," she said, interrupting her own, traitorous thoughts. "so there was never any need for me to marry someone of similar station to mine. That was one of the reasons why I ended things with Silas."

 

"Who would have guessed," Niles hummed. "I suppose the only question at this point is . . . are you into guys like me?"

 

Sapphire bit her lip. 

 

"Oh, Sapphire! I didn't know you would be in here!" Elise sprung in then, all smiles and bubbly energy. "I feel like I haven't seen you in _forever!"_

 

_"_ Same here," Sapphire replied, intensely aware that she was sitting on Niles' bed, and that Niles was still-- _definitely_ \--drunk. "Let me just get out of your way, here--"

 

"Oh, don't worry about it! I'm sure he could use the company." Elise swept up from behind her, squeezing her tight. "Where have you _been?"_

 

_"_ Oh, you know. Here and there," she replied lamely. Niles was giving her that _smile_ again, and it made her want to snap at him like she had before. 

 

"Well, _I've_ been studying anatomy. You wouldn't _believe_ the loads of books that Nyx has on the subject. Did you know that she used to study healing magic, too? I couldn't believe how much she knew!"

 

Elise blabbered on and on, finally releasing Sapphire to go and clean her hands across the room. Sapphire took the time to slip off the bed. He heard Niles settle back into his original position, stretching out like a cat to fill all corners of the bed. She tried not to watch. But she had the faintest feeling like he was trying to show off for her. Arching his back, arms thrown back, hands splayed.

 

Oh, yeah. He knew she was watching him.

 

"--anyway, Nyx told me that you would be awake, Niles, and here you are!" Elise faced them, her hands covered in some simple cloth gloves. "How long have you been up?"

 

"Oh, I don't know," Niles said. "I'm too drunk to even tell."

 

"Too drunk to-- Oh, Niles! You drank all the wine!"

 

"Would've preferred whisky, actually," Niles said. "Faster."

 

"Leo _said_ not to let you drink all of it-- it was his _favorite."_

 

"Then be sure to let him know how much I enjoyed it."

 

"It was _Hoshidan wine,_ Niles. You _know_ how hard it is to get that stuff."

 

"Sure, sure," he drawled.

 

"I should go," Sapphire said, already at the doorway.

 

"Oh, sure! Go ahead! I just need to change his bandages and check everything, anyway. It's pretty boring from here on out."

 

"Though you're going to miss the screaming," said Niles. "That's the fun part."

 

"You're not in pain, are you?" Elise said, concerned.

 

"Only a little, sweet lady, and really, it's more of a dulled, satisfying sort of pain, if you gather my meaning."

 

"I don't. Why do you have to be so confusing to talk to all the time, anyway?"

 

Sapphire was already out the door. She didn't take the time to ask if she needed help, and really, she would probably just get in the way.

 

Her heart pounded, and she had to pause outside of the infirmary to try and calm down. After several moments, however, her heart didn't slow.

 

She tried taking a deep breath, then another. Why did he have such an affect on her, anyway? And why did he seem to have such a vested interest in her, for that matter?

 

A couple of moments later, and her breathing was back to normal. It didn't really matter, anyway. She was late for magic theory with Leo.

 

* * *

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> introducing my headcanons: Niles not being able to read, and being dyslexic. And Azura, having an affinity for more Hoshidan men, and Corrin, liking more Nohrian men.
> 
> Leo's perspective next chapter. If Niles seems too nonchalant in this chapter, well, there's a reason for that, though of course, it could be attributed to a simple security mechanism, and he's pretending that he's not affected by what's happened to him.


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A view into Leo's marriage, and some awkward downtime with Niles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi yes, is anyone still reading this? no? well here ya go anyway
> 
> some slight Leo/Niles ahead OOOOOOH WEEEEEEEEEEEE

The last time Niles had bathed was a week and a half ago, surrounded by attendants in the sterile medical wing of Castle Krakenburg. Leo made sure the process was as quick and painless as possible, bringing in a few servants to simultaneously wash his hair, trim his nails, and scrub at his skin while carefully avoiding some of his more "tender" spots. Having sustained so many injuries from the time when he was captured, Nyx insisted that he wasn't fit for a bath yet, and so Leo instructed the servants to instead scrub him with the washcloths and loufas with buckets of water and soap. The entire process was successful, however, because the whole thing was completed by servants who had been working for the royal family for years. Monitored by him, Niles' quick cleaning session allowed him to be in and out before he was lucid enough to realize that he was still in pain from all of his wounds.

It was come time for another wash, however, and this time Niles had voiced his preference for someone that he knew personally to help him accomplish this. The servants wouldn't do this time, he insisted, despite Leo's protests.

"He says he doesn't like people tending to him," Leo grouses, unbuckling his belt and unfastening his boots to slip into something more comfortable. "It makes him feel needy."

"He's blind," Nyx deadpanned. "He's going to be needy for a while."

"That's what I wish I could tell him." The truth was, Leo hadn't actually seen Niles since he had been brought back to the castle. He figured Niles wasn't even healed up enough to even to take a bath, but it wasn't like he was going to tell him that he couldn't take one. 

Leo took a deep breath and slipped into another room, picking out a bath robe and some black slippers. He certainly didn't have any intention of taking a bath with him, but he felt sure that things could potentially get wet. 

"If anyone was going to tell him, it should be you," replied from the other room in her natural soprano. "Gods know that he dead tired of me nagging him all day."

Leo's mouth gave way to slight smile at that. His wife wasn't the most gentle caregiver, but despite her renown in dark magic and her seemingly endless knowledge on dark lore, she was quite proficient in the healing arts, as well.

He returned to their bedroom, the smile still lingering there. Nyx, looking up from her book from her perch by the bedside window, cocked an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"It's just funny that you recognize your own . . . nagging."

Nyx gave an exasperated sigh. "Niles just wants to do things by himself. No matter how many times I tell him how much things would change, he still thinks that things could go back to the way that they were. They aren't. And they never will."

Leo frowned. "Maybe not for a while. Losing an entire sense may be beyond our capabilities to fix, but just think about your affliction. We found a way to lift the curse, didn't we? Even if it took a few years. We did it, even though you spent your whole life looking."

Nyx looked dumbfounded. "I--" Her speechlessness gave Leo a sort of bloated arrogance, despite himself. It wasn't often that he was able to catch her without words. So used to being a pessimist, she often forgot what it meant to have hope every once and a while. 

"I--I don't know about that," returned Nyx at last. "To make something out of nothing, Leo--that's impossible, even from dark magic. Niles can't see anymore. For me, it was simply finding a similar case to mine, a similar curse that had been successfully ended. After that it was only a matter of finding the right ingredients to end it."

"That text that we found in the castle library was hell to translate," Leo groused. "It was from a dead language 400 years ago--on another continent, for that matter."

"Even so-- it was possible. It had been done before." Nyx gave him a pointed look. "But I've been around for a long, long time, Leo-- and never have I seen a man regain a limb, or regain his hearing. What has been lost can never be replaced, love. been It would take a miracle to gain something like that back."

"Not if he gave something up in return," Leo posited. "Or if . . . or if someone else gave something else in return."

Nyx gave Leo a pointed look. "Leo, I'm almost disappointed in you. You saw what havoc the Faceless wreaked on Nohr, even now, years after the war. That type of dark magic--unfiltered and pure-- it always comes with a price." 

Leo looked away, but didn't say anything more.

Nyx sighed, her eyes going up to the ceiling. "But I know your ambition is simply out of concern for your friend." Her eyes landed on him then, softer than they had been since the beginning of their conversation. "Love, if I had known of a spell that could bring him his sight--had even some faint recollection of a rumor I had heard about it-- I would have told you."

"I know." That gentle admission would be enough to placate his overly-cautious wife for the moment. It may have even been enough to steel him from facing his retainer for the past couple of weeks--but there were no excuses to hide behind now.

He shook his head and stood, stuffing him hands in his robe pockets. "Nevermind. I'm off. I hope you're not too bothered by the fact that Niles wants me to give him a bath."

"Please. If I got bothered by every lewd thing Niles said your way, I wouldn't have married you. Besides, you know I'd hex you into oblivion if you began anything with him."

.Leo gave a grimace. Oh, if she only knew. "Well, that sort of thing is to be expected, isn't it? I won't get into anything with him, I promise." Nyx rolled her eyes, inclining her head up towards him as he bent down to kiss her temple. 

XXX

There was still wounds everywhere that needed healing, stitches newly sewn that required time to mend the skin it bound together. Niles was still, in every sense of the word, raw. 

"Gods," Leo muttered when he saw him disrobe. 

Unfortunately Niles had heard him, and his lips quirked up. "Milord, I know the sight of my body unclothed is enough to make anyone stop in their tracks, but really, I'd like for this to be over with as soon as possible."

Leo shook his head. "Of course." He and Niles were in the bathing rooms now, and Leo had drawn back the last of his bandages from his waist. There was still an egregious wound there, barely healing from all the stitches that Elise and Nyx had sewn on. Elise had told him earlier that stab in particular was the thing that had almost killed him-- someone driving a sharp something through his body with something that had been ragged, rusted and unclean, laying him waste to the throes of fever just days after being rescued. Seeing Niles' body like this just made him feel all the more guilty. 

He cleared his throat. "The bath is right in front of you. All you have to do is lift your leg into it."

"Many thanks, milord." Gripping Leo's hand for guidance, he lifted one foot into the bathwater, and hissed. "This is too cool."

"Anything hotter would be too much for your body right now," Leo replied. "Just get in; we'll make it quick."

"Quick? Well, that's a shame," Niles pouted. "It's been so long since we've been alone. And like this? It’s really too bad that I can’t see. I’d love to see the look on your face."

Leo swallowed. "Yes. Well."

Niles smirked. “At least I still have my imagination.”

Leo’s face prickled like it always did when he said something like that. Niles had lowered himself into the tub by then, stiff still with the effort it took with all of his injuries. Seeing him settled in , Leo then took the time to remove his own robe and wet the wash cloth he had next to him in the bathwater. In the tense silence, he began his administrations, lathering the cloth with soap and rubbing at his retainer's skin gently. If he was honest with himself, he rarely bathed without aid himself, and so providing the service to someone when he was so used to having someone do it was an entirely new experience for him. 

With strain, he said, "I haven't touched the people who took you. They're in the dungeons. Honestly, I thought I might just kill them if I had been given the chance, but Xander wants to question them, give them a trial."

"No, that's quite alright." A slight smile found its way to his face. "I'm glad you didn't kill them, but prison's too kind for the likes of those scum." His expression darkened slightly. "No, dying from hypothermia or infection would be too merciful for those men. If it's not too much trouble, I want to hear them for myself, just to make sure you captured the right ones. "

"Of course." 

The water, which Leo had left untainted with oils and soaps, for fear these would irritate Niles' wounds, had already began to turn pink.

“Niles,” Leo said, because the silence was getting to be much too thick. “Why did you want me here?”

Niles scoffed. “You think I get much company, lying in the infirmary, all by my lonesome? You of all people should know I’m not very popular-- and this injury of mine isn’t going to draw out even the most pitying of Nohrians. You left me,” Niles said, his set with finality.

Leo’s hands clenched. “I did not,” he said with resolve. “Did you know how many units I had to muster to find you? We’d been searching for days, and it was only by pure chance that Odin and I were the ones to discover you first.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.” Niles’ voice was low with scorn. “You left me in that hospital room like a horse who’d taken a break-- better off dead. Made me feel like I wasn’t even worth your time anymore.”

“Niles,” Leo said, caught off guard. The distance he wedged between the two of them had hurt Niles more than he’d ever known. “I have researchers scouring relentlessly through the stacks of the Windmire library. I have scouts all across Nohr, trying to obtain information on a possible cure. I haven’t abandoned you.”

“After all we were, after all I’ve done for you, you couldn’t even pay me a visit?”

Leo ducked his head in shame. The aftermath of their previous relationship had been a tumultuous one, especially when he had decided to marry Nyx after the war. After three years of peacetime, he and his retainer had gone from nodding to each other in the hall when they passed each other to meeting after their regularly scheduled missions to discuss amiably about matters that concerned the kingdom. He began to see Niles as his advisor and close friend again, instead of keeping him at arm’s length. Had what he’d done ruined all that for them?

“I’m sorry,” Leo said, trying to put as much feeling into his words as he could. Niles remained unmoved, expressionless. He sat idly during the rest of the time, only responding at Leo’s instruction to move his arms and legs to ease the process for Leo. 

Dry, re-bandaged and back into some new robes, Niles looked fresh-faced and rejuvenated, but his face was closed off. Leo leaned forward to open the door to Niles’ old room, guiding his retainer inside and closing the door behind him. 

“I had the room prepared for your return,” Leo said, hoping to be helpful for a little while longer. “I know you can’t see it, but it’s lit and cleaner than when you last left it.”

“I can smell the wax,” Niles muttered.

Leo closed the door behind him and led Niles to the foot of his bed. “You won’t need for anything, I promise,” Leo said. “You’ll still be tender for a little while yet, but I’ve instructed one of the servant boys to lead you around the castle and retrieve everything you would need until you’re able to get on your feet again.” The lack of response that he was getting from his retainer was destroying him, and Leo ached to think that the burst of emotion that Niles had displayed back in the bathing rooms was the last all he was going to get from him from the rest of the night. 

Had he forgiven him? 

Before Leo could turn around, Niles caught the the lapel of his robe, and holding him in place. 

“Am I still yours?”

Leo’s stomach turned. The question was so unexpected that he was tempted to confess and reassure him all at once. Niles caught him before he could respond with his usual perfunctoriness, drawing him closer with a gentle tug. Leo, still standing, let himself be pulled, too surprised to react properly when Niles guided his face to meet his.

Even in this state, Niles' hands went through the motions, employing the same tactics that had worked on Leo back when they had been lovers. Despite recognizing the game he was playing, Leo responded beyond his will, his body falling into that familiar ache as Niles' teeth pressed firmly on his lip. He gave an involuntary sigh as Niles parted with a lighter kiss, wistful and promising. 

“Niles, I can’t.”

"Of course you can," he replied, his hands smoothing over the side of his thighs. "Besides, you owe me."

Leo was taken aback by his assertion. "You don't really think you can make demands of me like that, do you?"

"It'd be an awfully drastic change, I admit," Niles admitted. His hands curled towards his inner legs, slipping deftly inside his robes and pausing at his length. "Still, it's not like you're going to throw me over for it. You’re much to guilt-ridden for that." 

Leo hesitated, his ears burning. He wasn't wrong. 

“Besides, whatever would I do? Poor Niles, former outlaw turned blind who only got his current gig because the soft-hearted, young prince pitied him to much to kill him. All that potential, all that effort, wasted.” His long fingers trailed deftly around Leo’s length, the thin fabric of Leo’s smallclothes still between them. Leo shivered, hating the way that Niles still knew his body, even after all this time, even after what had happened. “Well, it’d certainly be a waste to throw him over now.” 

"You step too far," Leo said, trying to sound firm. It was really hard, though--and that was to say nothing of his cock. At the rate that Niles was going, he imagined that he wouldn’t be able to retain any rational thought for much longer 

"It's not like I can serve you as I did before, milord," Niles purred. "I'm no longer to be your retainer in my current state. So then let me deign to serve in other ways." Niles' hand curved inside his smallclothes now, skin on skin like a shock. Leo stepped back, gripping Niles’ shoulder for balance-- the irony of which wasn’t lost on him. 

Leo sucked in a sharp breath. "Y-you overstep, Niles. Besides, I'm married."

"Milord, you really are unforgiving. First you won't even allow me the dignity of death, then you refuse me any alternative positions which would befit me in my current situation. The least you can do is allow me to remain at your side. Oh, I won't get in the way," Niles said when Leo opened his mouth to protest again, one finger going down, down the full length of his shaft, complemented by his thumb tracing pre-cum off the tip. "I know how important your marriage is to you. You can even have children with her to keep up the image of heteronormativity. But I know how much you enjoy skirting the rules. We both know that concubines aren't an uncommon occurrence within Nohrian nobility."

Leo shut his eyes then. In too many ways, his retainer was right. He would be able to find use for him in this fashion, if nothing else. And in all things, Leo was still the pragmatist. He had long contemplated other career options that Niles could undertake, but nothing seemed to fit. Niles was no great sage who could dispel wisdom until he was no longer of any use. Hell, he had been barely literate before he’d lost his sight. And he had little patience for playing the butler, he knew from previous experiences. And, besides . . . He and Nyx had barely begun to be intimate, and what pleasure they got from each other was still nothing like how it had been with Niles. Their shyness in the bedroom, he knew, would evolve overtime, but the strain was not lost on him (especially now as the former outlaw pumped away). It would be easy for her to forgive him if he confessed bringing his retainer into the bedroom--she was more than aware of her own deficiencies. And--well. While Leo wasn’t as ready to admit to his queerness as Niles was, his calloused fingers were still a staunch selling point.

Leo was almost at his breaking point when Niles suddenly came to a halt. Fingers already wet from the performance, the prince made an embarrassingly high pitched noise in protest. His rationale had left him, and he desperately wanted the thief to continue once more. 

“But like I said--you owe me.”

He grew angry all of a sudden. Why had he stopped? “I don’t owe you anything.”

“You knew.” His breath puffed inches from his ear, but there was no emotion in it anymore. “The men who ambushed me, and attacked me--they were former spies of Garon. They were loyal to him, and suffered the most after your brother became king. Wages lost, pensions withdrawn--it’s natural that they would have the prowess to do what they had done and the gall to do what they did when they caught me. And yet-- you still sent me out there, to the backlands, to the far reaches of the kingdom with no back up and no knowledge of who I was dealing with.”

Leo’s heart was still. “Who told you?”


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niles tries to find out the truth. Leo lies, and then lies some more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> taps mic: hi hello, here is another chapter that no one asked for
> 
> slight non-con & manipulation, just a warning

 

XXX

 

_ The day was winding down and coming to a close. After a long hike to the base of the mountain, Leo, Xander, Sapphire and the rest gathered together to ascertain the best way to move forward. Up ahead, Azura had warned, was the Kitsune Lair.  _

_ Things were looking bleak. They had the Hoshidan strike force off their tail for now, but they couldn't stay in hiding for long. After riding for a full day in unfamiliar terrain, the army set up camp at the base of the mountain, half-collapsing from exhaustion. They needed a plan of attack, however, so Leo, Xander and the rest made the extra push to discuss how they would next counter their upcoming enemy.  _

_ Long into the night, they still hadn't come up with a satisfactory solution. They were low on supplies, food, and morale, but most crucial at this point, thought Leo, was intelligence. Recognizing their disadvantage, Leo offered up Niles to conduct reconnaissance of the area, though the night was late. By dawn, his retainer had left, Leo anxiously awaiting his return.  _

_ He paused, a small metal bowl in his fingers, and looked beyond where the accompaniment had set up camp, to the high rise of the mountain before that. They would need to get plenty of rest that night, to make up for the lack of food. They were currently running on two meager meals a day, though the meat in tonight's stew was certainly a blessing. There was a decent amount of activity going on in the camp, with busy blacksmiths tinkering and soldiers making their way too and fro to receive that day's rations.  _

_ Leo halted his pensive thoughts, relishing in the idea of retiring to his tent for the night and eating alone. Despite his craving for solitude, it was a shock and a relief when Leo found him in his tent, leisurely looking over his maps and figures like he had been there all along.. _

_ "G- _ Gods _ , Niles," Leo stuttered, nearly dropping the bowl of food he held in one hand. He gave his lover an annoyed glance, but inwardly he was glad. Niles looked safe, and that was all that mattered. _

_ "Oh, is that food?" Niles said, perking up at the tray Leo held. He had the plate in his hands before Leo could give a reply.  _

_ "Help yourself," Leo said, rolling his eyes. "I assume you've already marked the terrain?"  _

_ "I was worried I wouldn't get back in time to do it," Niles said around pieces of food. "Luckily, you left the lamp on for me." _

_ "Yes," Leo said distractedly. He strode to the small table where Niles had made his notations, cataloging the blind spots in the terrain that the mountain would pose for the army. "You were gone for the entire day, and this was all the intelligence you could gather?" _

_ "I suppose you might want to know about our enemy's weaknesses as well," Niles said, already dropping the plate back on the table with a sharp clack. "As well as their strengths. They aren't like the wolfskin--" _

_ "You'll want to keep that," Leo said,gesturing towards the plate, "if you were planning on going back to get more food for your liege." _

_ Niles gave a slight smile, pulling into a low bow. "Milord." _

_ "You should be grateful that I'm not very hungry, anyway," Leo said, striding towards him. "If you were here so early, why didn't you find me when I was out there?" _

_ "Suppose I simply wanted to see you and you alone, milord." _

_ "The only reason we've set up camp for the day is so that you could scout ahead for information on the enemy," Leo said, his voice tight. "Don't get your priorities mixed up, Niles." _

_ Niles' gaze softened at this. He drew closer, trying to meet Leo's eyes but failing. "I apologize. You're right. I won't lose focus again." He crossed his arms. "I can explain to you everything I've learned, if you wish." _

_ Leo gave a low sigh and looked up at him. "We're at war, Niles. Try and remember that." _

_ Gently, Niles reached out for his hand. He let him, his heart fluttering when he brought it up to kiss his palm. And just like that, he was forgiven. Leo despised the way he was when he was around his retainer, when it was just the two of them, like this. But he hated the way Niles spoke to him when his defenses were lowered even more. _

_ Still. He was young and in love, and Niles fit into his insecure, proud heart in precisely the way he'd needed. _

_ "Come here," he told him, reaching up to inspect his face. Niles had a nasty habit of letting scrapes and cuts go untended without a Healer, unnoticed by Leo until the skin healed over in an ugly mark. So many times Niles had tried to counter act this ritual by pointing out the dozens of other marks he'd accrued on his body, insisting that a few more wasn't going to make a difference. But it made a difference to Leo. Niles' looks weren't just  his anymore, now were they? _

_ Pleased, having checked his arms and neck, he gave a satisfied noise of assent. "I should really call a meeting to let the others know," Leo murmured. "We've a lot of ground to cover tomorrow, and it's only going to grow more and more difficult from here on out." He kissed the corner of his lips. "But it's still early, and..." _

_ Niles moved a hair closer and met his lips in kind. "Lord Leo. I'm appalled at you." _

_ "Hush," Leo snapped, guiding Niles' hands to the front of his trousers. "This won't become a habit of mine." _

_ "I can scarcely believe that's true, and yet..." Niles paused, looking at his lord almost guiltily, "I'm afraid I'm well-spent for the night." _

_ Leo stuttered back. "O-of course. You're tired, and we need to get some rest before tomorrow anyway." Leo hesitated. "Unless-" _

_ He stopped himself, almost biting down on his tongue to do so. Niles was not easily swayed, however. "Unless...?" _

_ "I-uh," Leo said dully, his cheeks lighting up. "You let me . . . instead." _

_ Niles gave a satisfactory grin and met his lips with gusto. Leo reciprocated with equal fervor, pausing to bring Niles' shirt over his head and making work of his trousers next. _

_ Leo stepped on Niles' feet in his rush, and Niles hissed. "Sorry," Leo murmured, face aflame. "I'll try and . . . . go slower . . ." _

_ Niles guided his hand downwards, watching him all the while. Leo, encouraged, took his time, tending to the various buckles and fastenings that kept them apart.  _

_ Niles gave a pleased little purr as the last of his underthings fell away. Leo, tentative but eager, reached out and stroked. _

_ "Is this okay?" _

_ "Mmm," Niles replied, his eyes heavy with intent. "You can go further, if you like." _

_ Leo nodded curtly. The things he wanted to do to him could fill tomes and tomes, but imagination and reality were often two separate things. He took his time, his retainer's breathing picking up, his own erection growing more insistent between the layers of his clothing.  _

_ "More," Niles insisted. Leo smirked, his head swimming with control.  _

_ He pulled. Niles coughed out a gasp, his grip on his shoulder tightening, and looked down at Leo with surprise. "I - I don't even know what to say." _

_ "Then don't," Leo suggested, voice thick. He turned the two of them towards the table, shoving Niles lightly but firm enough to make him brace himself before he hit it off-balanced.  _

_ Then again, Niles already looked off-balanced, put off their original routine and led expectantly for whatever was to come. Leo bent down to rummage amongst his things, coming up with a jar of lube he'd packed just in case. As the Nohrian accompaniment's senior tactician, he was nothing if not prepared for anything.  _

_ Hands properly lubricated, Leo went to work again, working his hands up and down Niles' shaft, only this time with feeling. Niles shifted and squirmed in his grip, his hands gripping the prince's hips, pulling lightly at the remainder of Leo's clothing. he can barely keep himself upright, Leo thought with bewilderment. Even so, As weak as Leo predicted Niles would be, he'd be furious if he ruined his plans, still laid out on the desk's table. He lamented silently at the dismally cramped quarters he'd had to settled with while on campaign; this sort of thing would never happen back at the castle. _

_ Niles was becoming needy, he could tell, but knew better than to presume he was due for a release. The outlaw needled and scraped at his neck, his teeth and tongue doing things to him that Leo knew would leave a mark in the morning. He wasn't goading him with his words, but he was doing a hell of a job finding other ways of doing so. _

_ "Are you close?" _

_ " _ Yes _ ," Niles murmured, his voice in the verge of impertinence. _

_ "Wait," Leo said, retreating suddenly. His right hand was slick with pre-cum and lube, so he used his left to clear away the table. It wasn't a sturdy one, that was for sure; it was one of those retractable ones created just for the purpose of camping. It would do, Leo thought as he laid the last of the materials on the tent's floor. _

_ Niles met him at once, locking his lips with his like a vice, greedy hands flying over Leo's body. Leo wrenched away again, taking in the sight of him, naked and flushed and shaky with want. Because of him. Leo had been proud of many things in his life, but he was particularly enamored at the way Niles had been brought down to his knees. _

_ A thought brushed its way across the prince's mind.  Metaphorically , for now, but the thought of his retainer's mouth on his cock made his toes prickle with delight. He finally relented, removing the rest of his clothing and closing his fingers between his and Niles' length in kind, pumping them both in fast, unregulated movements. _

_ It didn't take much longer after that. With an unceremonious shudder and Niles came in Leo's hand. The prince let him finish, languorously slicking his hands with the semen he had left on his legs. _

_ "Are you okay?" Leo asked innocently. _

_ "Mm." Niles tilted his head up, his blue eyes regarding him with some thing akin to affection.  _

_ Or maybe he was just tired, Leo thought morosely. _

_ "Turn around," Leo said, his body ringing electric with all of the self-doubt and fears he typically found himself in during their time together. Soon Niles' ass was facing him, and Leo idly wondered what he would do if he just took him, right then and there. _

_ Confident demeanor dropping slightly, he said, "It's not like me to be the one doing this." _

_ Niles straightened up, arching his back and granting him a mischievous look that would've cost him his freedom in any other context. "You're so cute when you're insecure." _

_ "Shut up." Leo flushed violently. "You've no right to talk to me that way." _

_ "Come now, we're alone."  He drew the last word out, his lone eye playing tricks on his self-esteem. "I've fucked you enough times for you to be able to figure it out, now haven't I?" _

_ Leo darted forward, grabbing Niles' wrist and wresting him around. It was a technique that Niles had taught Leo himself, in an effort to instruct him on some basic self-defense techniques to better his chances of surviving on the streets. If not for Niles' free hand, he would have slammed onto the table and sprained his wrist, a victim of the wrath that he had instigated. Being who he was, he easily shifted his stance so the move didn't injure him; he still, however, had his legs spread, open and ready.  _

_ "Oh-ho! Spicy little princeling, are you, milord? If you were any rougher with me, I might even consider you a threat?" _

_ "Rough?" Leo looked down at his own member, remembering at how comparatively thin it had been in comparison to Niles' was, even fully erect. Hands still slick, he traced down the middle of Niles' back, from the nape of his neck to the small of his back,lingering at where his back met his ass. He'd wanted Niles to love him, more than he’d wanted to please his father, or best his brother in combat. He'd wanted Niles to confess his love to him with no bars held, eyes unclouded with deceit or derision. He wanted him to look at him as his equal, not like an idol on some pedestal or some whiny noble with particularly base tastes.  _

_ He could just walk away. After all, Niles was tired, and they still had to discuss the details of their next mission. It was getting late, the cooks putting their tools away, the comfort women preparing to wish their soldiers goodnight. Xander would be waiting to meet with him to discuss their plan of attack, and he still had to meet with Sapphire to advise her on the best tome she should use tomorrow. _

_ "Rough?" Leo said, his voice taking on a more malicious tone. "You wouldn't like me rough. I'm the type of barb that hits you now and you never pay a second thought to, until hours later, you're on the ground, your entire body singing with the poison I've injected, writhing and wretching at your own negligence. You'll wonder why you hadn't taken me seriously before. You want me rough?" His mouth was a breath away from his ear. "You'll wish you'd been nicer to me after the things you've just said." _

 

XXX

  
  


Niles’ hand was still firmly gripping his cock, and a deep dread overcame the prince. Here he was with his pants  _ literally  _ on the ground, at his retainer’s mercy, just like so many times before. Why couldn’t he anticipate him? This isn’t anything new, Leo thought.

“Niles,” Leo began, “let me go. We can . . . talk.”

“I don’t think so,” Niles said, shifting his hold into something a little looser, turning his hands in that mind-numbing way that made Leo lose all focus. “You have a reputation for being this cold, calculating prince. It didn’t strike me as being true, at first, especially given the circumstances of our first meeting.” Niles smiled then, quick and cock-sure, and pushed Leo until his back was flush against the wall. “You had saved me, after all. You must have more heart under all of those royal underpinnings than you’d like to admit.”

“You sure like to talk,” Leo said, gasping. “This petty monologue is beneath you. If you wanted to slit my throat, you would’ve done it by now.”

“But I don’t have the advantage,” muttered Niles. “Even though-- well.” His length still in his hand, Leo had to give Niles some benefit. He was in the ridiculous position of being caught between mortal danger and possible release, and while he’d rather not have his control be wrested from him in his situation, it seemed like this was the only way that Niles would be willing to reveal what plans he had in store for him. 

“Just get it out,” Leo said lowly. “Finish me or end me, but drawing it out like this is only going to give me time to act against you.”

“Ah, I don’t doubt that.” Niles suddenly quickened his pace. “You certainly have the advantage. But I guess I’ll make this quick . . . it didn’t take long for me to enter your affections. Even with the knowledge of what your family might think if they found out . . . there was some part of you that couldn’t resist. But, as quickly as we began, you ended things. I thought we were doing so well. But you barely offered up an explanation.”

Leo gave a plaintive noise and tugged at the back of Niles’ hair, and he stopped abruptly, bringing his fingers to the front of Leo’s shaft, brushing it against his hair.    
  


“Shh, shh, little prince, it’s not for much longer,” Niles cooed. “It was no matter, anyhow. You so graciously allowed me back into your service, even if we were no longer on such pleasant terms. Lately, however . . . you must have found some fault in my duties, and harbored some deep complaint that you couldn’t even say aloud. You wanted me gone, and quickly; for some reason you couldn’t dismiss me, and yet you couldn’t very well execute me for some imagined crime, now could you?”

Leo shuddered and came, red-faced and shaky from being held from release for so long. 

“See, there. That wasn’t that bad, was it?”

Leo edged away, but he was still trapped by the outlaw’s body hovering over him. “Who told you? How did they know?”

“Why did you dump me? When what we had was so good?”

“Oh, shut  _ up,  _ Niles,” he managed with all of the malice he could muster in that moment. “Don’t pretend you don’t know, or even care. You’re not this petty, and I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of fucking me for answers.”

It was then when he’d had enough. Before he was even finished speaking, he reached in and grabbed for Niles’ wrist, prying it open at the thumb and twisting sharp. He ducked out from under him, at the same time giving his shoulder a firm punch to make his opponent step back. It worked, if only slightly. Leo, as Niles had said before, really did have the advantage in this situation, although Niles was still blocking the door. 

“Just answer me this, then,” Niles said, still blocking the door. “Why did you want to kill me?”

Leo darted left before Niles could make another grab for him.

" _Fimbulvetr_!" Niles shouted.

" _Brynhildr_!" Leo yelled immediately after, pushing his hands forward in some arcane gesture. The spells collided at once, filling the room with the sound of cracking ice and breaking bark. 

Niles stumbled back, his face the face of perfect shock, as the stronger spell began to envelop him. Within seconds, Brynhildr's might coiled around its foe. Niles barely had time to shout out before the branches disappeared with him with it. 

Heart hammering in his chest, Leo tried to think. 

_Niles knew_. Niles had attacked him. _Niles knew_. He had learned dark magic in secret to try and get the upper hand. _Niles knew_ . Was Sapphire in on it? _Niles knew._

 He had to find him.

Still wobbly, he rushed out of Niles’ room, searching frantically. Before he rounded the corner into the first guard, he made an effort to regain composure. After a beat, he decided he was settled--before realizing he still had his dick out and was still looking underdressed from the night’s events. He cursed, bright red covering his cheeks again, before realizing that there was not much else he could do about his appearance past the robe and slippers. At least his dick was in order.

“You there!” he grit out.

The man spun in attention, taking in his manner of dress in one sweeping motion. “Prince Leo?”

"There is a blind man on the loose. He is dangerous. I want him apprehended and taken to the prisons at once."

"A blind man? Dangerous?" the guard said, confused. 

" _ DID I FUCKING STUTTER?" _

_ " _ N-no, milord! I will send reinforcements once!"

"Do that. He is somewhere on this floor, I think. When you grab a hold of him, find me in my quarters." He looked warily at the man's heavy armor. "Send for Odin and some acolytes if you can. The man knows magic, and he'll obliterate through your cohort if someone like you tries to get a hold of him."

A few minutes later, Leo was in his rooms. He'd looked a fool stumbling around the castle, checking corners for his rogue retainer and avoiding eye contact with any guard who saw him in such a dishevelled state. He was also keeping a sharp eye out for Niles. He didn’t know where the spell would have transported him, since he had cast the modification of the original spell for it in such a rush. Would Niles be found within the castle? Outside of it? How many miles away? How many  _ feet  _ away? He had no way of knowing, and cursed his sloppiness.

Of course, the alternative would’ve been to simply kill him. In close quarters, that sort of spell would’ve killed him instantly, if not severely crippled him. That might have been preferable to this mess, Leo thought ruefully, and then took it back almost immediately. No. Despite everything, he didn’t want Niles dead. Perhaps in the past, but no longer. 

“Uh, milord?” asked a nervous looking Odin now.  “W-would it behoove you to explain the situation at hand?”

As he had changed, he received a damage report from a female adventurer who'd come to give him the news. Niles had not been  difficult to track down, as Leo's spell had transported him to the castle's training grounds. As a flurry of young soldiers were working on axe techniques, Niles stumbled in the midst of them, bewildered and very, very much blind. After hearing the noise, Niles had shouted another spell, a hex meant to root any attack coming towards him in their place. To everyone's surprise, the spell held, capsizing all but one brave recruit at the far end of the training ground. 

_ "I made the shot, milord," she had said, bowing. "I was able to incapacitate him, and the others were able to break away and restrain him." _

_ Leo breathed out a sigh of relief. "How did you stop him?" _

_ "I made the shot without puncturing any vitals," the adventurer said evasively. She tugged at her short hair. "Had to shoot him in the arms to prevent him from completing anymore of those spells, though." _

_ "Mm. Good." Absently he turned to his desk and unstopped a jar of ink. "What is your name?" _

_ "Me? Uh, Karolina, milord." _

_ Leo scribbles the name on a piece of paper. "Good then. I'll seek you out later for a reward. That was quick thinking on your part. And I'm grateful that you didn't kill him." _

_ When he turned to face her, her face was flush with tears. "What in God's name-?" _

_ "I'm s-sorry, milord," the young girl babbled. "I just-- Niles recruited me from the slums himself. Gave me my first r-real meal in years. Taught me the bow." _

_ Leo looked on at her, his expression colored with vaguely concealed disgust.  "I-" _

_ "i-i don't want a reward for shooting him," Karolina finished. "I just hope he's okay." _

Leo thought of her as Odin continued to prattle next to him. They were  _ concerned _ for him. After all that he had done, after knowing all that he  _ was  _ . . . .

Odin's insistent questions soon brought him back to the present again. "--one of the men who guard the castle's interior informed me briefly, but I believe myself to still be asleep. Might I be trapped within some sort of nightmarish alternate reality? Thine ears can scarcely comprehend--”

“That Niles is a traitor? Yes, it’s true, and you’ll be tried as one as well if you don’t answer me truthfully.” Leo turned and stood from his desk, staring at Odin. “Have you been teaching Niles magic spells in secret?”

“W-what? No!” Odin’s ruptured, betrayed expression said it all. For years, Leo knew him to be compulsively honest about every single detail that he came across-- save the matter of Odin’s actual history. “I don’t even-- Niles has been learning dark magic in secret?”

“Yes,” Leo said, hackles settling. Of course, if Niles had gotten to Odin first, he could have told him his side of the story before hand. Would Odin betray his lord now? Was his friendship to Niles stronger than his pledge of service? 

“Why would he do that?”

“Honestly? Because he was bored, I imagine,” Leo, flippant. Odin cast his eyes down to the ground. “He wasn’t content lying in the hospital alone for hours on end, I suppose.”

“The guard who woke me told me that Niles had lashed out, and that when you tried to settle him down, that he attacked and tried to make his escape.” 

Odin’s normal way of speaking confirmed to Leo that he was speaking earnestly. He nodded solemnly. “You heard correctly. I don’t know what to make of it. I trusted Niles with my life--”

“Milord, if I may be so bold to inquire . . .what were you two fighting about?”

Leo glanced up at Odin regretfully. “Well, you already know that Niles used to be my lover--”

“--yes, of course,” Odin said quickly, his cheeks flaring. Whatever Odin’s feelings regarding  a relationship between retainer and liege, his embarrassment at discussing such things with said liege was even greater. “You two had a falling out with each other. But that was years ago. Why did it come out now?” 

“He was trying to come on to me,” Leo said, breaking eye contact. “We was quite persistent about it. I told him to stop. He pressed on . . . saying that I owed him, since he went through such lengths to keep me  safe.”

Odin looked flabbergasted. It was just as well to Leo. The guards had taken Niles to the dungeons, and Leo had one more stop to make before heading down there. But the prince knew the blond wasn’t as daft as he might initially appear. His newer retainer’s dramatic speech spoke of a privileged education of some kind, and he was no slouch on the battlefield, either. While not as street-smart as Niles or book-savvy as Leo, he held an innate intuition about situations and people that Leo figured he might as well use to his advantage. 

“Odin,” Leo said, his voice low. He clasped both of his hands in front of him. “I know Niles has his ways. You’ve told me that he’s made advances towards you before . . . “

Odin made a half surprised chuckle. “Oh, that was just Niles being Niles, milord-- and besides, that was ages ago--”

“--nonetheless,” Leo said, “I don’t want you going near him. I don’t want any more --incidents like this happening again. I don’t know what I’d do if something were to happen to you.”

“I--okay,” Odin squeaked, seeing that his liege was quite serious. “I won’t, milord.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well that flashback scene in the beginning was a surprise haha. this story almost spiraled into a leo/niles fanfic. couldn't have that, now could we
> 
> *watches as my views subsequently taper off*


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